1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a linear actuator for driving an actuator element, in particular for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, with a rotatable drive shaft and an axially displaceable ram for adjusting the actuator element, with a guide curve driven by the drive shaft and with a guide member scanning the guide curve.
2. Related Art
Such linear actuators are known in practice, for example from exhaust gas recirculation valves in internal combustion engines of modern motor vehicles. In these linear actuators, the guide member has a sliding block or a ball bearing and protrudes into the guide curve formed as a guide groove. There is necessarily some play between the guide member and the guide curve. Such play is, however, usually not desirable, in particular when driving actuator elements in internal combustion engines of motor vehicles.
It could be considered to reduce the play between the actuator element and the guide curve as much as possible by restricting tolerances. However, in internal combustion engines of motor vehicles, in particular temperature changes and operating forces limit the possibility of reducing the tolerances.